Barnes and Noble Nook pre-orders "surpass expectations"

Demand for Barnes & Noble's dual screen Nook ebook reader has been so strong that the bookseller has been forced to announce a delay for pre-order deliveries.

When launched in October, Barnes & Noble told those pre-ordering the $259 gadget they could expect delivery on 30 November, reports the WSJ. A second wave of pre-ordering customers have been told their device will ship for 7 December and now new customers are being quoted 11 December.

"Demand for the product in our stores and online has surpassed our expectations", a Barnes & Noble spokesperson told the Journal. "We are working hard to meet demand for the holidays".

The retailer has not however revealed any kind of pre-order statistics. The Nook goes head to head with Amazon's popular Kindle ebook reader of which no sales figures have ever been revealed.